Tuesday, May 25, 2010

This past weekend on Saturday (5/22), three of the gleaners and two interested gleaner parents made the trek up to San Francisco to work at the Julian Food Pantry. There was more food than the gleaners have ever seen, including an incredible box of corn that allowed for eight ears to go to each individual. We brought approximately 80lbs of lemons and 5lbs of rosemary. Our suspicions were confirmed that the Asian population was none too excited about the herb, but the Hispanic, African-American and White populations were very appreciative. It was reversed the time we brought bok choy, which most non-Asian people looked at as if it were poison. Something interesting we saw while working in the back was that there is a culture of trading food in the alley behind the church. It allows for people to have preferences, in a way a fair food bank does not. The food bank provides equity but it's nice that people can have more choice through this informal system.

After the pantry, we went to the free farm where the plants and the space have both increased in beauty and vitality. The space has enough human touch to comfort and the produce looks healthy and delicious. It's always nice to see progress, when that progress is for good.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

As we approached Kairos House we saw four people sitting under the lemon tree we were supposed to be gleaning. I was hoping it wasn't a rebirth of my freshman year, during which Kairos residents would sit on their lawn and heckle passers-by (what would they say to us, with our silly pickers??). It was not the heckle team, however, it was NEW GLEANERS, freshman from Page's class. The new comers gleaned the fist half of the harvest, while the veterans got to enjoy the beautiful afternoon. When the easy lemons were gone the vets jumped in and pulled down the rest of the 125lbs of fruit!

We will continue to jump around campus in the weeks to come, gleaning from several smaller sites than the larger groves we have taken advantage of in the beginning of the quarter.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

What do you do when a well-established not profit wants to throw money at you to start something that will benefit others? You discuss the logistics of running that project, and wonder whether Stanford is really the right fit...and perhaps jump for philanthropic joy.

Two top executives from the D.C. Central Kitchen presented to a lunch group at the Haas Center for Public Service on Friday April, 30th. They introduced two projects. The first, the central kitchen, uses food that would have been wasted and turns out 4,500 meals per week in the D.C. area. In addition, they provide job training and employment for disenfranchised individuals, thus feeding the hungry and eliminating some of that need in the process.

The second project, and the one that they wanted Stanford to adopt, is their campus kitchens model. A similar model of potential food waste instead being prepared provided to needy individuals, would be used. They were adamant that the Stanford name would benefit their organization enough to warrant a fully funded program. Currently, they have 26 participating schools, none of which are in California.

Stanford Glean is definitely interested in the program, there are many logistical problems, relating to Stanford's location and unique access to kitchens. There would certainly have to be extensive coordination if the project were going to use all of the resources Stanford has to give. Pick-ups would need to be done from dining services and the many co-ops and self-ops on campus. Given that there are many kitchens on campus, with super easy student access, perhaps a rotating schedule would ensure that the burden was spread evenly. In addition, it would give many people an easy chance to participate in the program and could recruit followers.

The gleaning project would have to decide if the fruits of its labors would continue to support the Free Farm and Julian pantry or if the material would be used in the campus kitchen project (alternately, of course, they could remain entirely separate). There is something to be said for people having responsibility for themselves and feeling good about that. The free farm stand and Julian allow for people in part to decide how they will prepare food and have some autonomy related to that preparation. In the case of the farm, there is a lot of learning in the community about farming and eating healthily. Although for those who are homeless, a hot meal might be more beneficial, the services we are currently providing are different and of value.

Perhaps by increasing our presence on campus we could contribute to both.

The last concern is who this kitchen project would feed. That would take more and complete research about feeding programs in the area, which has not yet been completed.

Let Stanford Glean know if you are interested in the Campus Kitchen Project! stanfordglean@gmail.com

Pounds of Produce Donated Since 4/24/2010

About Me

Started in 2009, the Stanford Gleaning Project is a volunteer student organization that harvests excess fruit from the Stanford campus for donation to underserved populations in the Bay Area. As food justice advocates, we believe in generosity, abundance, equity, and sustainability. All of the produce that we harvest is donated to the hungry and homeless in the Bay Area through our current and former partners, including SPOON (Stanford Project on Hunger), the Ecumenical Hunger Program, San Francisco Julian Food Pantry, the Free Farm Stand, and the Palo Alto Hotel de Zink Women's Shelter. If you're a resident of the Stanford community and have an excess of fruit on your trees, feel free to contact us - we'd be happy to harvest and donate your unused fruit!